New York Open tennis tournament to debut

ATP event set for Feb. 11-18 at NYCB LIVE's Nassau Coliseum

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A handful of top 25-ranked players as well as exhibition matches featuring men’s tennis legend John McEnroe and 2017 women’s U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens highlight the New York Open ATP World Tour debut tournament set for Feb. 11-18 at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Coliseum.

The event marks the return of the ATP World Tour to the New York metropolitan area and Long Island for the first time in 13 years. GF Sports, a live events and sports media entertainment company, acquired the former Memphis Open in 2015 and partnered with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to move the tournament to L.I. The event is one of the longest-running American tournaments on the ATP World Tour and the only indoor championship contested in the United States.

“One of our biggest goals for the New York Open is to continue the development of American tennis by providing a chance for young hopefuls, and veterans alike, with an opportunity to play and succeed,” said Josh Ripple, Tournament Director. “It’s really exciting to have a strong player field, and U.S. representation, for the tournament’s debut on Long Island,” he added.

Early commitments for the singles draw included Sam Querrey (No. 13); 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open and Hall of Fame Open champion John Isner (No. 17); four-time Memphis Open champ Kei Nishikori (No. 22); 2017 Memphis Open winner Ryan Harrison (No. 47), and 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung (No. 58).

“I’m excited about being one of the headliners for this first-time winter ATP Tour event in New York,” said Isner, who has 12 career titles. “We hear NYCB LIVE has been renovated to be a first-class state-of-the-art arena, and it’s getting good buzz among the players.”

Kevin Anderson, South Africa’s top ranked player and No. 14 in the world, is also part of the deep field. Anderson holds three career titles and made it to the finals of the 2017 US Open. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2017 ATP World Tour Masters 1,000 in Montreal, as well as the finals of the Citi Open ATP 500 tournament in Washington, D.C.

Americans Steve Johnson (No. 44), Jared Donaldson (No. 54), Donald Young (No. 61), and Frances Tiafoe (No. 79), and former junior Wimbledon champions Noah Rubin and Reilly Opelka round out the strong U.S. field for the New York Open, the first U.S. stop of the year on the ATP World Tour.

Rubin, a Merrick native, won the Wimbledon boys’ singles title in 2014 and turned pro the following year after playing for Wake Forest University for one season. He earned the NCAA’s No. 1 singles ranking and All-American honors. “Playing at the Coliseum in front of my hometown crowd will be a dream come true for me,” Rubin said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the great work that’s been done to the venue and playing the first ATP World Tour event there.”

Adrian Mannarino (No. 28) of France, Israel’s No. 1 player Dudi Sela, Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy, who defeated Roger Federer at the 2017 Dubai Tennis Championships, and Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic, one of Latin America’s top competitors, are just a few players to watch in the tournament’s international field.

On Sunday, Feb. 11, guests who purchase an evening session ticket will have a chance to see tennis legend and honorary New York Open ambassador John McEnroe play U.S. Davis Cup champion James Blake, followed by a match between 2017 US Open women’s tennis champion Sloane Stephens and Canada’s No. 1 Eugenie Bouchard. All four players will take part in a mixed doubles matchup after singles play. All matches will be eight-game pro-sets.

From Feb. 12-17, there will be afternoon (1 p.m.) and evening sessions (7:30 p.m.) The tournament final is set for Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m.

Individual tickets for the main draw range from $38 to $72, and VIP packages range from $172 to $343 for the session and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, NewYorkOpen.com and NYCBLIVE.com, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the Ticketmaster box office at the Coliseum. Parking will be $15.

“We’re excited that NYCB LIVE will be the next stop on tour for an impressive field of the world’s top 100 ATP World Tour professionals, following the Australian Open,” said Brett Yormark, Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “The tournament will mark a new beginning for professional tennis on Long Island when it hosts Grand Slam champions and finalists, nine Americans, including the country’s rising stars, and a strong pool of international players.” 

 – Tony Bellissimo

tbellissimo@liherald.com